In a surprise revelation, a vendor of anti-DDOS equipment claimed that everybody else is doing it wrong, and leaves several subtle hints that their own equipment and services are the only true defence against a concerted DDOS attack. In a further shocking comment, the article disclosed that almost everybody else is constantly under some form of DDOS attack, hinting that you might be next. As a final nail in the coffin of your amateurish "Network Security" the experts reveal that there is nothing you can do - the better you protect your systems, and the more traffic your current systems will be designed to handle, the more aggressive attackers will become.

Cheerio Boy writes: "As any geek knows when you apply a standardized test to anything there will be a certain percentage that will not fit that test just by definition. IQ tests have long been the subject of controversy for testing what you have as existing skills and knowledge rather than your ability to think and learn. (Though some tests are worse at this than others.)

So it's no surprise that when you apply a standardized test to an autistic child they do not do well on the language and human interaction portions of the test. Being unable to interact in the common way they score much lower than normal.

MSNBC has a story about a researcher named MIchelle Dawson at the Rivier-des-Praries Hospital in Montreal that is using a test with less human interaction and showing considerably different results for autistic children:

a_skripko writes: "Few days ago Apple corporation has registered the new patent which presumably specifies that MP3-player iPod and communicator iPhone in a near future can receive functions of listening and record of an external sound."

JD Martin writes: Rendezvous with Rama and Peter Jackson's Halo make this list of 10 Awesome Movies Hollywood Killed. Why is it Transformers can get made, while projects like this languish out there with no one to fund them?

Instead of suing companies for infringing on its patents, like all the cool kids are doing, Media Rights Technologies has sent cease and desist letters to Apple, Microsoft, RealNetworks and Adobe for "actively avoiding" the use of its technology. According to MRT, the DMCA's language on copyright protection circumvention — defined as "to descramble a scrambled work, to decrypt an encrypted work, or otherwise to avoid, bypass, remove, deactivate or impair a technological measure, without the authority of the copyright owner." — requires those companies to use its product, since its X1 SeCure Recording Control technology has been proven to plug the "digital hole," and therefore allows them to uphold the DMCA. "We've given these four companies 10 days to talk to us and work out a solution, or we will go into federal court and file action and seek an injunction to remove the infringing products from the marketplace," says CEO Hank Risan. RealNetworks spokesman Matt Graves calls the letters "a rather novel approach to business development," and lawyers are calling the effort "out there" and "a play for publicity." We call it a riot, and while it's not likely to go far — not even the far-reaching and vaguely worded DMCA is likely to hold this one up for long — we're at least grateful to MRT for mixing things up a bit in the boring old tech lawsuit game.

I'm starting to get the feeling the DMCA may have some slight flaws...."

forkazoo writes: "A number of you have posted expressing concern about Slashdot's enthusiasm for April Fools jokes. Since Slashdot has always striven to be perceived as a legitimate news source, we have had an internal discussion, and decided to immediately end all our articles which are not fully verified for today. This site was never about just personal amusement. The point has always been to provide absolutely articulate, well edited articles to inform the IT community about new events which could effect their jobs. Because the April Fools jokes make this site look like some sort of personal blog for CmdrTaco, I am happy to announce that we declare that we will never violate the trust that you have in us ever again. For the rest of the day, you will be able to enjoy the carfully edited, duplicate-pruned, always relevant articles which you have come to know and explectr."

Apple and Google have abandoned their individual mobile phone projects for a joint venture, The Register has learned.

Apple will mothball its iPhone, announced in January, in favour of a new device that serves as a platform for Google's contextual advertising business.

Work on the project, codenamed "ID", began shortly after Google CEO Eric Schmidt joined Apple's board of directors last August. Sneak pictures of the device, below, show the fruits of the joint venture. It's now possible to see how the iPhone was merely an early concept prototype for the ideas the two companies were developing.

In keeping with the iPod tradition, the "ID" has no power switch. In fact, there are no buttons at all. More surprisingly, Jonathan Ives' industrial design means there's no room for a SIM card, or any embedded cellullar radio circuitry.

As a consequence, the "ID" is incapable of making or receiving telephone calls — but Apple says this is a feature most of its target market won't miss.

"People said they wanted an iPhone above all, to make a statement about themselves," an Apple engineering source told us. "Let's face it, they don't like talking and most of them have no one to call anyway."

"When you take the 'Phone' from 'iPhone' you're left with er, 'I'," a senior Apple source told us. "So we've focussed on satisfying the I"."

WMCoolmon writes: Beyond the Red Line, a fan-made total conversion set in the Battlestar Galactica universe, has just made its first demo release. Beyond the Red Line is a total conversion based on the upgraded, open-source version of the Freespace 2 engine, known as FS2_Open. The demo features a three-mission singleplayer campaign, as well as full multiplayer support. It is fully voice-acted and has a significant amount of original music. Screenshots and videos may be found on the project's website.

passthecrackpipe writes: "The Australian Government is planning on making the incandescent ligtbulb a thing of the past. In three years time, standard lightbulbs will no longer be available for sale in the shops in Australia (expect a roaring grey market) and everybody will be forced to switch to more energy efficient Fluorescent bulbs. In this move to try and curb emissions, the incandescent bulb — which converts the majority of used energy to heat rather then light — will be phased out. Environmental groups have given this plan a lukewarm reception. They feel Australia should sign on to the Kyoto protocol first. (Article in Dutch). A similar plan was created together with Phillips, one of the worlds largest lighting manufacturers. What do other slashdotters think? Is this a move in the right direction? Will this boost the development of better fluorescent bulbs? Improve the design and lower the costs of LED lightbulbs? Will this plan make a big difference to the environment at all?"